Free Cursed Kiss (Paranormal Romance) by Helen Scott Taylor

and was convinced she could see light trailing from the tip of the blade.
    A strange sense of peace filled her, wiping away her fear and nervousness. Closing her eyes, she spoke her fourth word of power and clasped her hands around the dagger hilt at chest level.
    She felt the cross of light she'd drawn dissecting her body, fingers of bliss stretching out into the universe, joining her to something vast and beautiful. For a moment, she lost herself. It was an effort to pull her consciousness back to the room. The next word of power flowed to her from the light, and she whispered the sacred sound into the stillness of the room.
    Casting aside her notes, she sketched a pentagram in the air with the tip of her dagger and imagined it shining with blue light. She repeated the process to south, west, and north, and then beckoned the two men.
    They came forward to join her and she drew her dagger through the air from north to east to close their circle of protection.
    Pablo's gaze settled on her reverently. He ran his fingertips along her bare arm, leaving a tingling trail of sensation. Light sparked between her skin and Pablo's fingers.
    "You're glowing," Luka whispered.
    Clare held up her hands, marveling at the faint halo of light around them. "It's just a circle of protection."
    "It's more than that." Luka laid his fingertips on her wrist and the light jumped to him as well. Clare held her breath, would his touch harm her?
    Nothing happened.
    "You've performed a miracle." Luka's eyes brimmed with emotion. "Our psychic fields have somehow joined and the two of you stabilize me." He hesitated, then withdrew his hand and stared at it. "At any other time this would be a wonderful discovery. Fate is adept at twisting the knife."
    The past few days, Clare had put thoughts of his leaving out of her mind as she concentrated on research in the library. When he'd interrupted her to take a walk in the garden or along the river, or a glass of wine on the terrace, she'd enjoyed their time together, let herself grow more attached to him when she should have kept her distance.
    Now the time had come to face the truth. He was about to pass through the portal and she would never see him again.
    "Luka…" Their eyes met and held for a second, then she rose to her toes and pressed her lips to his. Luka's lips were hot and firm beneath hers. He tasted of wine and deliciously of man. Her heart raced and tears pricked when he eventually eased away.
    He cupped a hand around her cheek. "I'll be forever grateful to you."
    "I know." With a quick smile she gave Pablo a peck on the cheek and patted his arm. "Look after yourselves."
    "I'll care for Luka as always," Pablo said with a nod.
    After the emotion of the last few minutes, the next few seemed interminable as they stood side by side, staring at the dungeon wall, waiting for the portal to open. Clare tried to plan what she would do when she returned to New York, but her attention kept wandering to the man beside her.
    Then she saw movement. "Look."
    "It's a room," Pablo said.
    "The portals are often mirrors." Luka spoke to Pablo over her head, and she felt a sense of exclusion as though they'd already moved on and left her behind. "When we pass through, take care. There may be people about."
    The window cleared, showing a bedroom with a huge four-poster bed shielded with thick curtains. Luka pushed on his helmet and gripped the hilt of his sword.
    The boundary of reality that delineated her life wavered. For a crazy moment, she considered abandoning everything she knew and going with him. After all, she had no family left, nobody who cared about her. Even as the thought faded, she knew it was impossible. Too many people were depending on her to keep Moray afloat.
    "Now," Luka commanded.
    Clare concentrated as hard as she could and imagined Luka and Pablo being pulled into the window as she had been. It seemed from the research there were no words or spells to make it happen, just the will of someone